His Legacy
by The Emerald Shapeshifter
Summary: REUPLOADED! Part 2 of the Disaster series. Chiro believes you have to run to escape your past. Only, your past will chase you until you face it head on.
1. Chapter 1

**His Legacy**

**A SRMTHFG Fanfiction**

Well, here's the sequel to the Skeleton Prince. I hope this one is as good as the other. Seriously.

After the whole Skeleton Prince incident, Chiro is convinced he is a danger to the rest of the team. So he runs away. Can the Hyperforce find him before a mysterious trio known as the Risen do and return Chiro to his former self? Or is the threat more personal?

**Epilogue**

A few months after the Skeleton Prince incident, the team was starting to return to normal. For Chiro's sake, they said nothing about the Skeleton Prince, but Antauri knew Chiro still remembered. He had seen the diary. He found ten others just like Chiro's under the boy's bed. They were the records of the previous Princes. But Chiro's barely had anything in it. He had yet to make his own evil legacy that would make his incarnations proud.

But he wouldn't.

Antauri sensed Chiro's distress growing by the day. Something bad was going to happen. So the silver monkey kept a close eye on the boy every second of the day.

Of course, the monkeys told Jinmay all that had happened, with Chiro being the Skeleton Prince and everything that had happened. Of course, they didn't mention it around Chiro. He was too…stressed…at the moment to talk to anyone. He didn't seem himself. He never stayed in the Super Robot all day. He was usually out in the city from 6:00 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. every day. He would even take small parts of metal or machinery with him, and when he would some back, he wouldn't have it with him. They all became concerned, but for Chiro's wellbeing, they couldn't ask him about it.

Antauri read Chiro's journal sometimes. Every time he did, it was the same. He even read all the others, and he noticed something odd. None of the names were mentioned. Not even on the backs of the books. Chiro's was the only one with his name on it. The rest of them just had a number on the back. Nor did they discern anything else about the other Skeleton Princes.

* * *

Chiro seemed zoned out most of the time. He knew, even when the others didn't, that something horrible was about to happen to all of them. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

One day, when Antauri finally showed the journals to the others while Chiro was out in the city, Chiro's had something different:

_Monkey Team & Jinmay: I know you're reading this. I know Antauri has been reading my journals. Yes, I didn't forget anything. I pretended to forget. But now, I'm going to do something about this. Pretending isn't enough._

_I'm too dangerous for you guys to be around. Antauri's noticed my power growing every day. Ask him. But, as I said, I can't be with you anymore. I'm sorry, but I have to do what I know is right, and when I do, I hope you won't hate me._

_I've been secretly building a one-person pilot's ship. I'm leaving. Don't try to find me. I'm going to do what I am positive will fix everything, and prevent all this from happening. Believe me, if I stick around any longer, something bad will happen._

_I also have another reason. They're coming for me._

**_Chiro._**

* * *

Two figures stood, facing a small ball of light, watching the scene playing out before them. Chiro, who was running outside, turning around to face the giant robot that for two and a half years had been his home. But not anymore. He was leaving ShuggazoomCity. Forever. A robot girl and five robotic monkeys ran out of the giant machine, making Chiro quicken his pace. Soon, he came upon a red, orange, yellow, green, blue and silver ship. It was elegantly designed, with strong, sturdy wings and a state-of-the-art computer system, artillery and propulsion.

The two figures watched as Chiro hopped inside the small craft, and its engines fired up. The robots on the ground below watched helplessly as Chiro flew off into outer space, shrinking down to a small star that flashed in the sky before fading completely.

"So," the first figure said. "He's leaving."

"Yes," the second figure said. "He is. But, alas, so soon does the boy go."

"Yes, we were almost upon him. He knew we were coming. The Skeleton Prince is smart."

"We must follow."

"Patience, my friend. All will work out in the end. We _will_ capture him. The Skeleton Prince _will_ be under our control once more."

REUPLOADED! This was finished maybe 5 years ago, by popular demand, They're BACK UP!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: The Transmission**

Chiro looked sadly out the window at the stars as he whizzed through space. He sighed and put his elbow on the console in front of his, resting his head in his hand. He had all programs alert for any hostile spaceships or transmissions.

That's why he was shocked when he got a message from…

"Chiro?"

Antauri. The large screen showed the rest of the Hyperforce was crowded behind him, worried looks on their faces.

"What do you want?" Chiro asked, sounding bored.

"Chiro, turn around at once," Antauri answered. He was stern, yet calm.

"Why?"

"Why?" Sparx jumped in front of Antauri, shoving his hands onto the screen. "_Why?_ We want you back! You can't just go into space alone going god knows where!"

Chiro did an odd thing. He put his hands on the screen, over Sparx's. "Yes, I can. I just did, didn't I?"

"That's not the question, Chiro," Gibson said. "You must turn around now!"

"Okay, listen here," Chiro barked. "I'm not a kid. I can handle myself. _And_ I can handle the Risen, too."

"The Risen?" Antauri echoed. "Who are they?"

Chiro pretended not to hear. "Blocking all transmissions," he said.

"Chiro, don't you dare—" Antauri started, but Chiro shut the screen off, blocking all messages he would get.

"Don't _you_ dare tell me what to do," Chiro whispered. He grabbed the controls of the ship…

And he turned around.

* * *

"He just hung up on us!" Otto said. "How could he?"

"We need to find out where he's going!" Gibson said. "We have to get him back here!"

"Then why are we just standing here?" Sparx asked.

"We need to go after him," Jinmay said.

So they got the Super Robot ready for a journey through outer space. They were planning on disabling Chiro's small ship with a pulse blast from the Super Robot. It would also momentarily stun Chiro as well.

They were in for a wild ride.

* * *

"I see him!" Jinmay cried from the Torso Tank. Sure enough, the small ship came into view.

"Ready the Robot's pulse cannon," Antauri ordered.

The Fist Rockets pointed outward, a cannon coming out of both of them. But no sooner did they fire, than the Fist Rockets backfired, and shot off the arms of the Super Robot. Sparx and Gibson screamed, not expecting.

A screen in front of Antauri came on, showing Chiro's calm face. "I know all your tricks, Antauri. The pulse cannons have been disabled."

"Chiro, why are you doing this?" Antauri asked.

Chiro laughed. "You know what I'm doing."

Chiro's small ship blasted past the Super Robot. The Fist Rockets were just flying aimlessly through space. Chiro pressed a button, and they shut off. The Super Robot flew over to connect them to the rest of it. Chiro just flew on, barreling back down towards Shuggazoom.

* * *

"Well, this helps our plans out very well," one of the figures said. "He is returning to Shuggazoom."

"For a brief visit," the second one said. "We must hurry."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Fury of the Risen**

Chiro slowly approached Shuggazoom. He turned around, watching the Super Robot turn to look at him. He knew the Hyperforce would do anything to try and get to him.

_They don't understand,_ Chiro thought. _They don't understand the danger._ He turned back, punching buttons on his control panel. _I have to stay away. But they're gonna keep coming after me. I have to run._

Chiro's ship came to a slow landing on Shuggazoom, in the very outskirts of the city. All the houses were run down, and most were even on fire, due to the aftermath of the Skeleton King's last attack. No one lived here.

Chiro's hand began to glow black, and he grabbed his communicator (like what he would do to go into Hyper Mode). His Hyper Mode changed. Where it was black, it turned white, and where it was white, it turned black. And the orange turned to blood red (even on his face). He grabbed the communicator and clenched his fist over it, crushing it. He threw it behind him as he continued walking.

He turned around yet again only to see the Super Robot land somewhere far behind him. His walk turned into a run.

Antauri's voice boomed through the Robot's megaphone. "Chiro, come back this instant. Whatever is wrong, we can help you. Don't you trust us?"

_I wish I could…_ Chiro thought.

* * *

"This…this madness… It needs to stop," Antauri whispered, more to himself than to the others. "Something is wrong with Chiro; that's why he's running from us."

"Well, in that letter he wrote, he said he was too dangerous," Otto pointed out calmly. "What do you think he meant by that?"

Before anyone could answer, two smaller ships (about the same size of Chiro's) flew past the Super Robot, headed to the very edge of the city.

"Who are they?" Jinmay asked.

"That's where Chiro landed!" Nova shouted.

* * *

Chiro approached a small, burning building. He knew this place well. He used to live here, before he ran away. His first mission was clear. _Get the book…_ he thought. Simple enough. He reached for the doorknob, and…

…someone gripped him around the neck with tremendous force. He came face-to-face with…

"Do not move," the figure growled.

Chiro struggled against the tight grip that was slowly choking him. "Let…me…go!" he screamed in a rough voice. He looked carefully at the two figures. Both of them wore long, white cloaks, and Chiro couldn't see their faces, yet he knew who they were. "Manak…  
Anora… What are you doing here? I locked you away years ago!"

"The Risen cannot be locked away by such means as brute force," the figure who was holding Chiro—Manak—growled. (Manak is one of the guys from Antauri's Masters that betrayed the Hyperforce for the Skeleton King).

"And we have come for a reason you understand, my boy…" Anora said. (Anora's a GUY, people! And for those of you who have seen Ben 10, he's an Ectonurite [aka Ghostfreak]. If you haven't seen it, go to Wikipedia). He held out his hand. Chiro was too weak to do anything, due to the lack of air from the pressure on his throat for about two minutes.

"Let him go!"

Antauri suddenly came flying in, bashing into Manak, knocking him away from Chiro. Chiro fell to the ground, gasping for air. He grabbed his throat, and looked to where Antauri was. Behind him was the rest of the Hyperforce.

Jinmay rushed up to Chiro, trying to help him, but he scrambled away from her, still on the ground. She stood there, a hurt look on her face. Chiro then let himself lay on the ground.

"You think you can attack us?" Anora shouted as he bashed Otto with his hand. "We cannot be killed, nor locked away. Just ask your precious Skeleton Prince!"

"Leave him alone, you devils!" Jinmay yelled. She shot her finger missiles at them, but they teleported away. The Hyperforce looked up to see their two ships fly off and into the night sky.

They all crowded around Chiro, who had his eyes slightly open, still panting for air.

"C'mon, get him back to the Super Robot **_now_**!" Antauri shouted.

Chiro was vaguely aware of them picking him up and taking him back to the Robot, but before they got there, everything went dark and he passed out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: One Lie Short of the Truth**

"Is he gonna be okay?"

Chiro could faintly hear voices.

"Yes, Jinmay, he just fainted from lack of breath. He'll be fine."

"Nice outfit." He could hear Sparx let out a small laugh.

"Sparx!" There was a slapping sound. "How could you say that? He was nearly killed tonight!"

"Say what? All I said was 'That's a cool outfit he's wearing'!"

"Moron."

"I wouldn't talk, Otto!"

"Okay, everyone, just get out!" Gibson said. "I need space. I'll let you know when he wakes up."

Footsteps sounded, the rest of the team leaving the room reluctantly. Chiro groaned, finally coming to, and he put his hand on his head as he sat up. But Gibson pushed him back down on the table. He was in the sickbay.

"Are you feeling okay, Chiro?" Gibson asked.

"Swell," Chiro muttered, pushing Gibson's hands off of him. He sat up again, turned, and got off the table. He came face-to-face with Antauri. The silver monkey had his arms crossed, looking at Chiro with unblinking eyes. Chiro gave him the same stare right back at him. Both stood, unmoving, for what seemed like forever.

"We need to talk," Antauri finally said.

"That's what _you_ think," Chiro said. "I need to get moving."

The rest of the team, bid by some unspoken signal, filed into the room, surrounding Chiro. Otto was holding Chiro's journal. It was open to the page with his note to the team. He shoved it into Chiro's face, and said in a harsh voice, "Explain."

"Just what it said," Chiro answered in a calm voice. "The truth."

"And what—may I ask—_is_ the truth?" Otto seemed mad, for the first time in a long time—and at a friend, no less. He glared at Chiro.

"The truth lies in power," Chiro suddenly said. He sat on the table and looked at the monkeys and Jinmay. "Power beyond comprehension. The power I was born with was a curse. A true curse. A curse I plan to get rid of, not matter how drastic the measures needed to do so." He paused and let out a deep sigh. "I hate to say this, but what I'm doing—is your fault, guys. I tried to tell you not to go after the mission to find the Skeleton Prince—me. But you pursued it relentlessly, blinded by the hope to destroy ultimate power beyond your control. I was doomed from the day I was born. I tried to stop it. I almost succeeded—until _you_ mentioned the Skeleton Prince, Antauri." He jabbed his finger at the silver monkey.

"I can't fight it," Chiro continued. "The previous Skeleton Princes had a similar problem. They were all…good souls. Like me. They wanted nothing more than to be heroes. But, the first one was possessed by a truly evil spirit, and, thus, he couldn't control himself, and he became an evil figured feared and hated across the universe." A tear ran down Chiro's cheek. "His name was Chiro. All of them called themselves that. But, as they lost themselves to an evil, demonic essence, they were just known by their title—the Skeleton Prince."

Chiro suddenly grabbed Antauri and pulled the silver monkey towards him. "You don't know what it's like to live with a curse that eats you from the inside out. I had stronger willpower than my ancestors. I didn't turn out like them. If I did, you'd all be dead right now. But that's just it. Bringing me to Hendran did something to the evil inside me. Now, the reason I'm running away is this: I need to get as far away as I can before I end up killing you all! And the rest of Shuggazoom will be sure to follow. I need to get away… Far away…"

He set Antauri down, and got up. "Now you know. Now, move away from the door."

The monkeys seemed hypnotized. The reality of Chiro's speech still hadn't sunk in. Only Antauri understood. Chiro gently pushed Nova away from the door, and the team just watched with wide eyes as Chiro left the room.

Then, as Chiro left the Super Robot, the rest of the team snapped out of their trance. "Chiro!" Nova called. She stated to leave the room, Jinmay hot on her heels, when Antauri stopped them.

"Let him go…" he said. They went into the main room just in time to see Chiro's small ship take off, back into space. "He didn't tell us everything. He never told us what he was going to do to break the curse placed upon him."

"He said, 'No matter how drastic'," Jinmay whispered. "We have to go after him!"

"And we will," Antauri said. "Let's go."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: This Can't Be the Truth**

**_Important Note:_** Please read this. I noticed that both of my newest fanfictions—both _Skeleton Prince_ and_ His Legacy_ have a major error in them: The time is wrong. In _Skeleton Prince_, I said it took place before 'Incident on Ranger 7'. Though not directly, this I wrong! Dammit! Both of them are supposed to take place after the supposed defeat of the Skeleton King (after Soul of Evil). 

I'm gonna start reading these things over before I post them on the Internet.

Yeah. That's what I'm gonna do.

Anyways, that's my fault, so for those of you who were asking themselves, "What the hell?" That's my fault. Didn't mean it. It won't happen again.

The monkey team took off in the Super Robot after Chiro. His little ship was much faster than the big, bulky robot. Otto told the others that he showed Chiro the design for a super-powered, high-tech ship that he was planning on building. It would be near indestructible, with about as much firepower as the Super Robot itself. Chiro, obviously, took the design for his escape ship.

Everyone glared at Otto when he told them this. "What?" Otto said sheepishly. "How could I know Chiro would steal the blueprints to my design?"

Suddenly, the alarm went off. Gibson pressed a few buttons on the control pad, and a picture came up on the screen.

Chiro was headed straight for a black hole. Lightning flashed from the depths of the anomaly, but Chiro wasn't fazed. He flew towards it, straight on.

"He'll be crushed!" Nova screamed.

They each went to their stations in the Robot. Antauri engaged the Tractor Beam, trying to grab Chiro's ship, but he stopped. His hand was inches from the lever.

"Antauri?" Gibson asked. "What's wrong?"

Chiro was getting out of his ship. He created a small ball of dark energy in his hand, and threw it into the black hole. A blast of energy flew out, but it didn't hit the ship. It almost seemed to reach out, and it grabbed Chiro around the waist. It threw him into the black hole, which had seemingly changed from a blood-red color to a soothing green.

Then, the Super Robot jerked to a halt. The green energy was coming towards it. It turned white, and phased into the Super Robot. Like it did to Chiro, it grabbed Antauri and pulled him into the black hole.

"Antauri!" Jinmay shouted. The Super Robot stayed floating in place, and it wouldn't move. Whatever was happening, it would be between Chiro and Antauri.

* * *

Antauri slowly opened his eyes. He was in darkness. Colors of the rainbow pulsed through the black 'sky', as well as the 'ground'. He looked around.

_Power corrupts, my friend,_ a voice said, echoing through the void. _I tried to tell you._

"Who's there?" Antauri asked.

_Not power._

"Not power…" Antauri thought for a second. "You are a mortal, no?"

_Soon, I shall be no one, Antauri. You don't know anything. Did my speech not tell you anything? Is that why you followed me?_

"Chiro?" Antauri asked.

_Yeah._ It was Chiro. His voiced sounded different, as if he was older, but it was him nonetheless. Antauri still couldn't see him.

"Tell me now. What is going on? Why are you running away from us? You're acting like the bad guy. You _do_ realize that."

_I do. But, you don't realize: I _am_ the bad guy._

"What's going on?"

_I told you. It's all about power. One wish is all I need._

"But a wish is power," Antauri pointed out. "If you hate this power that is doing this to you, fight it. Not all power can corrupt. You have the Power Primate."

Suddenly, a small orb of green energy appeared out of nowhere, and flew towards Antauri. It phased into the silver monkey, and he momentarily began to glow green.

"Not anymore," Chiro said. He appeared in front of Antauri. "I'm not worthy of it. Take it back. Soon, with what I'm about to do, I won't need it."

Antauri seemed shocked, but he recovered as he asked, "Well, tell me then. What are you going to do? What do you need one wish for? No one is listening, Chiro. Now is the time to tell me everything you know."

Chiro thought for a moment. "It may also be my last chance to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?"

"Changing the course of history is risky, but it may be my last chance to save you guys. I have enough power to grant myself one little wish. One. It's all I need."

"I don't understand."

"I told you. Each of the previous Skeleton Princes were possessed by an evil spirit. They were good people, before the spirit took them over. That's happening to me, right now. I can fight it, but not for long. And when the spirit takes over, you _will_ have to fight me. And you _will_ have to kill me. I'm just making sure you won't hesitate."

"How?" Antauri took a step forward, but Chiro took a step back. He vanished, and Antauri began to fade, returning to the real world.

_Just, forget this ever happened, okay?_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Dawn of a New Day**

Antauri felt like he was thrown back into the Super Robot. The giant machine finally regained motion, and it turned around.

"Antauri!" Nova said. Antauri opened his eyes. On a screen in front of him he could see Nova. She had a huge smile on her face. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Antauri said. He looked at the screen. The black hole shrank into outer space—but before it vanished completely, Chiro's ship was sucked into its depths. A horrible, grinding noise accompanied it, crushing the small ship. An orange light shot out, headed for…Hendran.

The black planet was almost invisible in outer space, but it showed up on the radars as a skull and crossbones. The Robot was even warning them of the evil of the planet. But they kept going, following the orange light, which they knew would lead them to—what they hoped was—the end of this mad quest.

Chiro entered the altar where he first became the Skeleton Prince in front of the Hyperforce. "My sword…" he whispered. He went up to the pedestal and gently pulled his sword—the Black-Night Blade—out of its pedestal. He paused, then snapped his arm out straight. The sword flew out of his hand, and embedded itself in the far wall.

Right in front of the Risen.

"Well, I must admit, you've kept yourself in the shadows longer than I expected," Anora said, running his finger along the blade. "I thought you'd tell the Hyperforce of your so-called 'Master Plan' sooner."

"They don't need to know until the time is right, Anora," Chiro said. "And it's not a master plan. It's just a simple idea."

"But, you do know," Manak began. "This spell that you are about to attempt will possibly sap your life force dry."

"I don't really _have_ a life force," Chiro said calmly.

"You don't really mean to attempt—" Anora started.

"—I'd rather die than let my friends perish just because I kept a secret from them."

"You chose to keep it a secret," Anora said.

"At the age of ten, the Skeleton Prince is fully vulnerable to the evil spirit inside them," Manak said. "The spirit then has control over the Prince's body. I don't see what has been holding _you_ back. What makes _you_ so special that the spirit has actually been merciful?"

"I had a stronger willpower then the fools who just gave up. I don't 'give up'. I fight. I've kept fighting all my life. Until I finally lose myself, I'll fight."

"How very noble of you," Anora said, turning his head to the right. "But, will you allow that fight to affect the ones you love?"

"What do you care?" Chiro asked. "You're both heartless. You never had friends. This was the only path you were able to take. All you wanted to do was to have power. That's why you decided to become ambassadors to the Skeleton Prince. You fought alongside the previous one. But now, I just want you to leave me alone."

"We waited patiently for the next resurrection to be born," Manak said. "And you were, on Hendran. But then, you ran away, and we were out of the job."

"So, we followed you," Anora said, nodding his head. "We've been watching you for a while, now. Watching your pathetic heroic efforts to change the world before you destroyed it."

"You don't know the entire plan," Chiro said. He held out his hand, and the Black-Night Blade flew back towards him, landing gently in his hand. He held it out.

"Now, leave me alone and get out."

"Or what?"

"Or this!" a voice said.

Nova came out of the shadows and slammed into Anora with her fists. Chiro just watched, then he threw his hands into the air.

"You followed me!" he said. "Why?"

"To make sure you were okay," Jinmay said. The rest of the Hyperforce was behind her.

"Well, I'm fine, now get out."

"No," Antauri said. "Not without you."

"You don't want me with you anymore," Chiro said. "Make Antauri the leader of the Hyperforce. Just leave me alone."

The Risen moved to stand beside the Hyperforce. The team moved to attack them, but the Risen just stood there, unmoving. They all watched Chiro.

"I just want everyone to be safe, but I guess it was too much to hope for," Chiro said. "I'm just trying to make sure that when I lose myself to the demon inside me, the good guys won't hesitate to do their job."

"How?" Antauri asked.

"Just, stay there, and you'll see," Chiro answered.

For some reason, the Risen waved their hands, forming a magical shield around themselves. Antauri, bidden by some instinct, moved behind Manak.

Chiro waved his hands in front of the Hyperforce, and suddenly, they couldn't move. Antauri dived into Manak's shield, and the magic didn't affect him.

"That magical forcefield is just a waste of time," Chiro said to Anora. "Evil or no, I would _never_ associate with the likes of you."

Chiro approached the altar once again. He removed all of the items, and switched their locations. The Skull went where the sword sat, the Demons' Stone went where the Skull was. Chiro cut the sword he held into the place where the Demon's Stone once was. A deafening roar sounded, and the wall behind the altar crumbled. Behind it was a symbol.

The Wraiths' Mark.

It began to glow blood red, and Chiro placed his hand on it. The monkey team (and Antauri, duh) tried to escape the hold the magic had on them, but it was no use.

"Here's my plan," Chiro said. "You guys would try to help me if you remembered me. But, if I erase the memory of me from your minds, all would work in my favor."

"Chiro, NO!" Antauri managed to say.

"I'm sorry, guys," Chiro said sadly. "I'm doing this for you and myself."

Jinmay's eyes opened wide. She had seen something. She saw visions of buildings burning. ShuggazoomCity reduced to a pile of rubble. The rest of the planets in the universe had also suffered the same fate. A figure stood on a hillside. He looked upon the wreckage, then looked down.

As Chiro reached around his neck, the symbol began to pulse in different colors. He took the medallion (from Ghosts of Shuggazoom and Night of Fear) that held pure darkness from around his neck. He placed it upon the symbol on the wall, and…

…an explosion resounded through the cavern.

Chiro stood calm in the middle of the noise and fire. His magical hold on the Hyperforce lifted, and they watched with worried eyes. They looked to Antauri, who was still in the magical forcefield.

"_Run!_" he yelled. The rest of them ran out to the Super Robot. But Jinmay hesitated. She looked back. She didn't want to leave Chiro. She couldn't. She started to run back, but Otto tugged on her arm, and she reluctantly followed.

Chiro had made his wish.

A blast of orange light shot out. Jinmay felt her memory fading away. Where was she? Who is that boy there? _What's happening?_

Antauri didn't feel any effect of the spell. But he did feel himself fading away. He closed his eyes, and then…nothing. Only Chiro's voice echoing through his mind. He sounded different.

_This is my legacy, Antauri. You are now a part of it._

* * *

Antauri finally opened his eyes. He was back in the Super Robot. The team was crowded around him. He looked around to see he was on the table in the sickbay.

"Antauri!" Nova said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Antauri answered. "What happened to Chiro?"

The rest of the team had blank looks on their faces. They looked at each other, uncertain.

"What's wrong?" Antauri sat up. "Where's Chiro?"

Otto finally stepped forward. The Hyperforce shot him a glance, hoping he was asking the question they were all wondering. What he said frightened Antauri to no end.

"Who's Chiro?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Meeting**

Antauri just stared at Otto. "What do you mean? He's our leader!"

"Jinmay is our leader," Gibson said, motioning to the robot girl. "Are you sure you're feeling alright? You didn't hit your head or anything in that battle against that robot?"

"What robot?"

"The giant battle death machine that landed here," Sparx said. "We totally creamed it, but you malfunctioned. Did you hit your head on something before that?"

Antauri still stared. Then, he realized.

_"You guys would try to help me if you remembered me. But, if I erase the memory of me from your minds, all would work in my favor,"_ Chiro had said. The boy was smarter than Antauri had thought. He planned this all from the moment Antauri first mentioned the Skeleton Prince. No, from the moment Chiro ran off. He had erased the memory of him from the universe.

_How come I wasn't affected?_ Antauri wondered. Then he remembered. The Risen had created a magical forcefield around themselves. Antauri had dove into one. _So, the Risen must still remember about Chiro. But the rest of Shuggazoom—and the universe—has forgotten. Shuggazoom thinks Jinmay has been the leader of the Hyperforce…_

"Antauri?" Gibson asked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" Antauri said, still staring into space. He got up. "I'm…going for a walk…"

Antauri slowly walked out of the Super Robot, leaving a very confused Hyperforce behind.

* * *

"Have you seen anyone named Chiro?"

"Chiro? What kind of name is that?"

Antauri, for the past hour, had been asking all around ShuggazoomCity to see if anyone still remembered. Chiro had spared no one. They all forgot.

"Chiro?" Mr. Gackslapper asked. "Yeah. I know him. He works for me. What does the Hyperforce want with him?"

Antauri smiled. Score. "I…just want to talk to him, is all," he said. "He knows me. Tell him that I'm waiting for him. I want to meet him tonight."

"O…kay…"

Antauri bowed. "Thank you."

* * *

A few hours later, a figure approached the fast-food restaurant where Mr. Gackslapper was. The owner turned to the new figure.

"Uh," Mr. Gackslapper said. "Chiro… Do you know someone named Antauri? A member of the Hyperforce?"

Chiro glared. "Yeah. Well, I did. Why?"

"He came by today, about three hour ago. He wanted to talk to you. Is something wrong?"

"No," Chiro said. "Not yet." He paused.

"Do you wanna take the day off, Chiro?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

* * *

Later that night, Antauri returned to the fast food restaurant. The lights were off, since it wasn't open this late. The tables were empty, save for one person. He was sitting in a chair, leaning against a table, with his legs, propped up on another chair.

"Chiro," Antauri said.

"Antauri," was Chiro's only response.

"The team doesn't remember you." Antauri approached Chiro.

"Then it worked. Now, I've got a job, and I'm just a normal teenager. And I also make 20 dollars an hour!"

"Chiro, this isn't funny," Antauri said, his face blank.

"I never laughed at anything. I do realize what I've done isn't exactly positive for you, but it's the thing I had to do."

"Why _did_ you have to erase everyone's memories?"

"Because." Chiro sighed, as if he was telling a story for the tenth time. "I told you. I don't want you guys to hesitate when the time comes you have to kill me."

"You want us to kill you?"

"Yes."

"Chiro, this isn't the way to go. We can help you. After all we've been through, you still don't trust us?"

"Oh, I trust you more than anyone. What I'm doing is because of that. I trust you not to trust me."

"I don't understand."

"Antauri?"

They both turned around to see Otto, Nova, Sparx, Gibson and Jinmay standing behind them. They looked both confused, and worried.

"Who is that boy?" Gibson asked, pointing at Chiro.

"I am outta here," Chiro said. He started to walk away, but Antauri grabbed his arm in a near death grip and pulled him back.

"_This_ is Chiro," Antauri said. "Guys, you've lost your memory. Of him. He did something that caused you all to forget about him."

"Antauri, you can stop now," Chiro whispered. He stepped back.

"Antauri, what are you saying?" Gibson asked. "This is absolutely absurd. My memory is perfectly fine."

"Yeah," Nova said. "I don't feel any different."

"Neither do I," Sparx stated, crossing his arms.

"Nuh-uh," Otto said plainly.

"But—" Antauri turned towards Chiro. _How could you guys forget everything we've done?_

But, Chiro wasn't there. He had run off. Antauri just watched as Chiro ran towards a building. As he reached it, he jumped into the air and vanished.

* * *

"Don't you guys trust me?" Antauri asked. Now, they were back in the Super Robot.

"Yes, we trust you," Gibson said. "Why do you think we don't?"

"Because you don't believe a word I say."

Gibson looked at the others. They talked among each other for a minute, then Jinmay stepped forward.

"You said his name was Chiro…" the robot girl said. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"Because you know him," Antauri said.

Jinmay thought for a minute. Then she grabbed Antauri's arm and dragged him away from the others. She kneeled down to his level and put her hands on his shoulder.

"There's only one thing that comes to mind when you say his name," Jinmay whispered. "If he is who you say he is…"

"What's that?" Antauri asked, hoping he was getting through to her.

"I loved him, didn't I?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: A Goodbye from a Hero **

Antauri nodded. "Yes, you did. And he loved you. More than anyone."

"Then why did he make me forget?" Jinmay asked.

"I believe he hopes to protect us from himself. From whom he is becoming. We have to help him."

"But how?" Jinmay had a sad look on her face. "The others don't remember."

"Antauri?" Nova's hesitant voice reached Antauri's ears. He turned to see her and the rest of the monkey team standing beside him.

"We've decided," Gibson said. "No matter what. If you are crazy, or telling the truth, we well be beside you all the way through _anything_, no matter what. We're with you."

"Even if you _are_ a complete lunatic," Sparx added.

"Thank you, Sparx," Antauri said with mock thanks. "But, I'm telling the truth. If you look deep inside yourselves, you'll see the truth as well."

* * *

_This is all about trust,_ he thought to himself. _I trust the monkey team. But, I should listen to Antauri. He's my friend, my…my brother. But I don't want to kill him. If I did, I could never live with myself. _A tear streamed down his cheek, followed by another. _I want to protect the monkey team, and at the same time, they need to kill me. If that's what they need to do to stop the Skeleton Prince, then so be it. I'm fine with that fate. The other Skeleton Princes were, as well._

Chiro looked at the medallion he held in his hands. He clenched his fist over it. _Making everyone forget didn't work. Antauri and the Risen remembered. If they did, what good is everyone else forget?_

Chiro stood up. He raised the medallion over his head, and it flashed purple. Slowly, everyone across the universe who had met him or heard of him regained their memories.

Chiro grimaced as he gripped the medallion tighter. With a yell, he threw it with all his might. It smashed against the ground, breaking into a dozen shards and fragments. He shot a beam of dark energy at it, and it blew up, creating a huge inferno in the alleyway.

Chiro stood in the middle of the dancing flames. He stuck his hand straight into the fire. _If only the fire could kill me now,_ he thought. He began to walk through the flames, unhurt. He jumped higher than anyone could, onto the top of the building. He looked across the city, his gaze falling on the Super Robot.

"Monkey Team," he whispered. "Forgive me."

And he jumped into the sky, vanishing yet again. The flames still raged in the alley below, but soon vanished, leaving no trace of any fire.

* * *

Anora looked at Manak. "Where is he going?"

"To start the war," Manak answered. "The battle that was waged by the other Skeleton Princes. But I can sense he won't get far."

"Do you mean…"

"Yes. Something very bad is going to happen. It shall affect everyone in this galaxy. We must leave."

"What?!" Anora floated up and looked Manak straight in the eye. "How could you say that? We are the last of the Risen!"

"Our time is over. If he wins this first battle, maybe. But, we must leave, or we, too, shall die."

* * *

It was raining at night in ShuggazoomCity. The dark and cloudy sky made it impossible to see anything, even if it was right in front of your face.

But that didn't faze Antauri. He stood outside, somewhere in the middle ring of the city (imagine the city as a circle). He looked up. To someone walking, only the monkey's blue eyes would be visible. He looked down at his feet.

"You should go back inside," a welcome voice said.

"Chiro?" Antauri asked. He couldn't see the boy. He was probably dressed in all black, making him near invisible. Antauri knew he must have a reason, so he didn't increase his vision accuracy. Yet.

"It's kinda cold out here. You should get inside."

"I'm fine."

"Antauri—"

"I find it calming, for the first few hours."

"All of this—everything—it's my fault. Sorry."

"You did nothing," Antauri stated plainly. "None of this is your fault."

Suddenly, a hand gripped Antauri's arm. "They remember now. I gave them their memories back. Everyone."

"I knew you would, Chiro. You're not the kind of boy to do something that evil."

"I am, Antauri."

"No, you're not. You're just blinded by another belief."

"Tides of evil race across the universe, getting ready for the battle that is soon to come. I don't want you—or the others—to die before you have the chance to fight back. Please, don't give up. I want this madness to end."

"So do I, Chiro," Antauri said

Hands rested on Antauri's shoulders. "Please, Antauri, I just want you to know one thing before I say goodbye." There was a pause. "I'm sorry. None of this was meant to happen."

"You have already been forgiven, Chiro."

Chiro embraced the silver monkey, and Antauri returned the gesture. "Thanks, Antauri."

"You're welcome," Antauri said. "You know, we will do anything to help you. Just say the word. We'll be there."

Chiro let go of Antauri. "Hendran."

The rain cleared up, and Chiro was gone. Antauri turned to leave, but then he turned around.

"I _will_ save you, Chiro!" he shouted. "I swear on my life, the debt will be repaid!"

* * *

Antauri rushed back to the Super Robot to see the others just standing around. They seemed frozen in time. That is, until Antauri came in.

"**_Antauri_**!" they all screamed. They rushed up to embrace the silver monkey.

"Are you okay?" Antauri asked, struggling to get out of their grip. After a few seconds, they finally let go.

"Yes, we're fine," Gibson said. "Antauri, we've finally realized what has happened!"

"Chiro _did_ erase our memory, but for some reason, we're all better now!" Otto exclaimed, jumping up and down. Sparx was watching him with a slightly confused look on his face, while Nova grabbed Otto, and he stopped jumping.

"It was Chiro," Antauri said. "He gave everyone their memories back."

Sparx asked a question no one expected. "But why?"

"Why?" Antauri repeated. He then looked down for a second. "I…I do not why… He did not tell me…"

"Then how do we know he's not trying to lure us into some kind of trap?" Sparx crossed his arms, waiting for an answer.

"If it is, then so be it," Antauri declared. "I promised him I'd help, and I **_will_**, no matter what the cost." He held out his hand. "Are you in?"

Jinmay placed her hand on top of Antauri's. "To the end," she said softly.

Otto put his hand on top of Jinmay's. "You know I am. I'll do anything to help Chiro."

Gibson put his hand on Otto's. "He's helped us many times, saved our lives on countless occasions, so it is only fitting we return the favor."

They all looked at Sparx. He still had his arms crossed, but then he softened and put his hand on Gibson's. "We're the Hyperforce, Antauri. I'm in. Whatever it takes."

"Well, then," Antauri said. He smiled. "Shall we go?"

"To Hendran!" everyone shouted, throwing their hands into the air.

* * *

"Master… They are coming. Should we kill them?"

A figure sat on a throne. He lifted his hands, which were claw-like and made of the same stone as the Citadel of Bone. He flexed his fingers in front of his face, as if admiring them, and looked to his minion, a large skeleton-like creature—a Formless. It held a huge sword in hand.

"No. Let them come."

"But, Your Majesty…"

"Do you refuse my orders? I have unfinished business with the Hyperforce," the figure said. "Let them come."

The skeleton bowed. "Y-Yes, Your Majesty." It saluted.

As it ran out of the room, Chiro leaned back in the throne. "Antauri, I've told you what to do. I need you. I'm losing myself." He looked at his hands. "Maybe if I just killed myself now… I wouldn't risk them getting hurt—NO!" He grabbed his right hand. "That was the fate of the other Skeleton Princes. I need to do something different—I need someone else to kill me."

_In order to truly kill the spirit of the Skeleton Prince, someone else has to do it,_ Chiro thought. _I'd rather die than watch my friends perish at the hands of a being beyond my control._

He stood up shakily, almost unwillingly, and walked out of the room. He came to a balcony on the castle in which he used to live. An immense army stood below, cheering as he appeared.

"Let the universe fall at the hands of pure evil," Chiro said. His voice sounded different. His eyes clouded over, turning black. "Wage war across the universe, and show no mercy… But first…" he yelled to the army. A smile creeped across his face.

"…Kill the Hyperforce!"

The crowd cheered again.

Chiro was no longer himself. He was now the **_true_** Skeleton Prince. Somewhere, deep inside himself… the real Chiro was fighting for control. But it would be futile. It finally ended. Soon, Chiro would vanish into the depths of nothingness, leaving the universe in the hands of an evil…monster…that will kill everyone, including his family. Chiro gave away the only thing that was keeping this evil demon spirit at bay.

The Power Primate. Now, with it gone from his body, the spirit would finally be able to take over. Was finally able to control Chiro.

_Freedom,_ the Skeleton Prince thought. _Now, all I need to do is get rid of the only hope poor Chiro has left—the Hyperforce. With them gone, he will give up. The time of my greatest triumph is at hand. With my power, now enhanced, I will _destroy_ the universe._

The Skeleton Prince looked to see the giant Super Robot land on the far reaches of the horizon. The Robot dropped to its knees and placed its hands on the ground, kneeling, recharging for the battle. The Skeleton Prince's smile became bigger, and with the Black-Night Blade, he motioned for the army to proceed to the battle. All the Formless and skeleton monster and animals turned around, marching towards the Super Robot.

_Leave the silver __freak__ to __**me**__,_ the Skeleton Prince thought. He laughed.

* * *

_One…last…hope!_ Chiro called from inside himself. He continued to fight for control…


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Famous Last Words**

"We need to separate Chiro from his army," Antauri informed the others. "He is now powerful on his own. I believe the army is just to toy with us."

"Why?" Jinmay asked.

"He is no longer…" Antauri chocked a little before continuing. "…No longer in control of himself. The spirit he told us of is in control. He is the one, _true_ Skeleton Prince."

The team hung their heads. The only option open was to go out into an all-out war with their leader—their best friend. They were weighing the options. There was nothing left. Only one thing to do.

"Ready the Super Robot," Antauri said. "You can fight the army without me."

"Antauri!" Nova shouted, worried.

"No, don't," Antauri stopped her, a fierce look on his face. But then, he softened. "I'm going after Chiro. Leave the Skeleton Prince to me."

He sighed. "Time to end this."

* * *

Antauri helped the team ready the Super Robot, Jinmay taking Chiro's spot once again. The silver monkey said his farewells for the moment and flew off of the head of the giant robot. He was met with a sea of undead, skeleton-like creatures and Formless. The silver monkey landed on the ground in the middle of a 'clearing' in the army and crawled towards the opposition as quietly as he could.

* * *

The skeleton army was not interested in one lone robotic monkey. They were more into tearing apart the Super Robot. It happened so fast the Hyperforce didn't have a chance to react. The monsters tore into the metal of the robot, ripping the hyper armor off (much to Otto's dismay) and disabling the machine. Once the robot fell over, the army didn't even stop to cheer. They just went right at tearing apart the robotic occupants of the machine. But they didn't get far. A small tube retracted from the Super Robot's hands, blasting the army nearest to them with a blazing inferno.

The members of the Hyperforce exited the Robot, looking at the damage. They then decided for revenge, ripping apart the nearest Formless and skeleton monsters. Screams of the undead resonated over the field.

* * *

Antauri continued to crawl along the ground, edging away from the creatures as their feet stomped around him. As he was almost to the castle, a line of Formless stopped him.

He got up from the ground and ripped them apart, offering them little chance to retaliate. There were seven of them, and he took them all out. Then…

…A hand grabbed Antauri around the neck. The silver monkey turned to see furious black eyes facing his own.

"Don't think that, after this, I'll ever let you live," the Skeleton Prince said. His voice was harsh, and it alone seemed to stab Antauri in the chest.

The Prince then threw Antauri pretty much halfway back to the Super Robot. An unseen force pushed him the rest of the way. As Antauri picked himself up from the ground, the Skeleton Prince's voice carried over to him.

"You know what, you silver freak? I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna kill the rest of the Hyperforce. I'm gonna tear apart that sad excuse for a body. _I AM GOING TO __**KILL**__ YOU!_"

"Then it's only fair to return the favor," Antauri shouted back calmly.

The silver simian closed his eyes. Then, with a tremendous crash, a figure landed beside him. His black eyes seemed to glow, and the moon hovering over the battlefield…

…disappeared.

"Welcome to Hendran, Antauri," the voice said. A sword with a black blade that shone in the darkness was lowered to the silver monkey's neck…

* * *

"I can't see!" Otto yelled. He flailed around, and as he bumped into Nova, he whirled around, falling to the ground in the process. He flailed on the ground as well.

"Otto, stop fooling around!" Gibson's voice scolded. "They're gone."

Otto blearily stood up. He looked around. "I still can't see anything!"

"Shut up, Otto," Nova said. "At least there aren't any more monsters."

"Or maybe they're just waiting to attack us until we think we're safe," Otto suggested.

There was a pause. Then, Jinmay said, "Gibson? Chiro."

Gibson looked at his scanner, the small screen lighting up a little bit of the area, but not by much. The team crowded around. In the center of the screen was a pulsing purple dot.

"There!" Gibson said. "That's Ch…The Skeleton Prince." He caught himself, for what was happening could not be Chiro's fault.

Could it?

* * *

Antauri did a back flip and knocked the Black-Night Blade out of his hands. It flipped through the air, finally embedding itself in the ground not too far from the two.

The Skeleton Prince held Antauri up by the neck again, but was forced back by his ghost claws whipping over his head. He looked over to his sword, but Antauri blocked him.

Then, suddenly, both froze. Neither moved. Why? Maybe because the bad guy was getting a good idea, and the good guy was getting a bay idea about the bay guy's good idea. Did that make sense? Nothing does.

Then, the first move was made.

And it was another grab around the neck. The Skeleton Prince held his hand out to Antauri. "Our power is somewhat matched. You have the Power Primate, and I have the power of the Dark Ones."

Antauri was chocking yet again. "A black heart just leads…to nothing," he said.

The Skeleton Prince shoved his hand onto Antauri's forehead. A small green orb appeared, and the Power Primate returned to the body of its original owner. Chiro.

Then, as if stunned, the Skeleton Prince stopped. Antauri fell from his grip, then just watched him as he regained his breath. The Prince completely froze, and he didn't even blink. Then, his eyes turned blue, and he began to shake. He fell to his knees, then looked at Antauri.

"A-Antauri?"

"Chiro," Antauri breathed. He knelt down and put his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Are you okay?"

Chiro just kept shivering as if cold. "I…I don't know. Where am I?"

"Hendran. The Skeleton Prince took over and we've been fighting and now… You're back to normal. For a few minutes, I believe. Tell me what I can do. Anything. Just tell me."

Shaking hands fell on the silver monkey's shoulders, and Chiro's hesitant voice said, "Kill me. Now! Do it!" As Antauri's mouth opened, Chiro stopped him. "Just do it." Tears were streaming down his face. "I dead enough as it is. I'm finished. Chiro's dead. Now, the Skeleton Prince lives inside me. We need to end this." His eyes flickered from blue to black, then back again. "Now…before I kill you first."

He then was lost again as his feet whipped out from under him, catching Antauri in the jaw and sending him tumbling backwards.

Antauri rubbed his chin as he watched two entities fighting in one body for control. Chiro just stood there, his whole body shaking violently, his eyes flashing blue and black. Tears were streaming down his face, and he let out a pained whimper ad he began to shake more.

"Stop moving," he whispered, so softly that Antauri could barely hear it. "Give me back control. I said stop moving. NO!" His voice was changing from the scared, small voice of Chiro to the deep, demanding voice of the Skeleton Prince. They were actually arguing amongst themselves. Chiro grabbed his head and fell to his knees. Then, with soft, blue eyes, he looked up to Antauri.

"Help me," Chiro whispered.

"I will, Chiro," Antauri said. "I'm not killing you now."

Chiro just stared at him. He looked over to the tattered body of the Super Robot. He could see well in the darkness, even though Antauri couldn't. He could see the rest of the team, running around and bumping into each other. He saw them crowd around Gibson, who was holding his scanner, and they began to make their slow way towards the castle.

"I tried…to get a book…from my home in ShuggazoomCity…" Chiro whispered, breathing hard. "It told how to defeat the Skeleton Prince, in a safe way…but the Risen stopped me… I'm sorry. I should have been able to stop this. Now, there's only one way."

"Kill me now," he whispered harshly. "Hurry."

His eyes turned black, and he stood up. Antauri backed away.

"Do you believe, that after all I've done, that killing me would stop me?" the Skeleton Prince said, finally back in control. "Antauri, I know you. You can't kill."

"I killed the Skeleton King, didn't I?" Antauri asked boldly.

The Skeleton Prince stopped. His eyes were shining bright. Antauri knew that soon—very soon—one of them would die. A smile crossed the evil one's face.

"You did, didn't you?" he asked. "I don't really care anymore."

Antauri paused. His hands twitched, then turned into the familiar magenta claws. He got into an attack pose, but the Prince just smirked.

"Well, then, let's see what both of us are capable of," he said. He shot out, bashing into Antauri with his shoulder. He made no attempt to get his sword, which was still in the ground. Antauri let out a yell and lashed out with his ghost claws, catching the side of the Prince's cape, tearing the fabric. Neither noticed.

Antauri ran. He wasn't scared, but he needed some distance from the Skeleton Prince to attack properly. He actually crashed into the Black-Night Blade. It came free from the ground, landing over his body as Antauri fell to the ground on his back. The silver monkey slowly and hesitantly wrapped his ghost claws around the hilt.

Time seemed to slow. The Skeleton Prince was slowly running up to him, then he was jumping into the air, his foot down for a crushing—and most likely killing—crash-down kick.

He never made it. As he slowly came down upon the defenseless monkey, Antauri slowly stood up and brought the arm that was holding the sword up, pointing at the Prince. Since he was flying through the air, he didn't have time to escape. His body moved, desperate to get away. But he was too slow.

Too slow…

Antauri braced the sword in his hands as the Skeleton Prince slowly came down towards him. The moment of truth. Did Antauri have the guts and the willpower to kill his best friend, one who had saved his life countless times and even brought him back from the void?

The answer…was yes.

With one last shout, from both of them, Antauri shoved the sword upwards—stabbing the Skeleton Prince in the heart. All went silent. No one moved.

The scene echoed the one from the last time the Hyperforce had visited Hendran. Antauri, stabbing Chiro in the heart with his ghost claws. That didn't kill Chiro, only freed his soul, for however brief. The Black-Night Blade was meant to kill. It was different this time. Chiro's soul was free from the Skeleton Prince.

Even if he was dead.

The Prince's eyes were wide open. They were flashing from blue to black to…blood red. Then, they went blue. Chiro's hands slowly moved to grab the blade of the sword. The blade was right in through his heart, coming out of his back. Blood covered the sword and seeped into the cloak Chiro wore.

A flash of light appeared, and light finally came back to the planet. The moon reappeared. Resonating shouts of, "Antauri!" sounded over the field from the Hyperforce. Antauri payed them no attention.

He pulled the sword out of Chiro's body, and the boy fell limp to the ground. He wasn't dead yet. He appeared to have a black shade on him, and it lifted, dissipating like a cloud, accompanied by a **_horrendous_** screech from…the spirit of the Skeleton Prince.

The great evil is gone.

Time finally returned to the land, and the clouds over the planet finally dispersed, revealing the moon. It began to set, and the sun began to rise. Otto was right, in a part. The skeleton creatures and Formless were still there, but they were frozen. As the first reaches of sunlight hit them, they dissipated into nothing. They burned, melted, and vaporized in the sunlight.

Antauri knelt beside Chiro, his hand on the boy's forehead. His eyes were closed, but he was breathing. Barely.

"Chiro…" Antauri whispered. "It is done. I'm…sorry."

Chiro's eyes weakly opened. "…You're sorry…? This isn't your…fault. It's mine. I didn't trust you. I didn't trust the…team. You could have helped me, but I didn't…" He took in a deep breath, and then exhaled. "…I didn't trust you enough."

"And don't say this is your fault," Antauri said. "It's no one's fault. You had no control." He paused. "The Skeleton Prince is no more."

"Thanks," Chiro said. He brought his hands to his head—and in a movement of pain, clenched his fists and banged them on the ground. Antauri flinched. Then, Chiro looked at Antauri. "Tell the others I said thanks, too."

He closed his eyes, and his breathing stopped. Antauri just stared. He bowed his head, and cried. He had just killed—murdered—Chiro. The Chosen one of the Power Primate. But…it was also for a good deed. The Skeleton Prince was gone. But, so was Chiro himself.

Nothing would be the same.

**_But, in that one small second, as Antauri took his hands away from Chiro, he missed that one, small, fleeting heartbeat._**

**_Chiro's hand twitched._**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: Not Today**

Antauri looked to the others as they finally reached him. Like last time—and for the second time—they saw Antauri standing over Chiro's body. It was too much.

"A-Antauri…" Nova whispered.

"I'm sorry…" Antauri said, not looking at her. The look on her face would hurt him too much. "I did what he asked me to."

There was a long pause as the team tried to wrap their minds around what had happened. Antauri _murdered_ Chiro.

"I believe it is safe to assume that this is the future Chiro tried to create?" Otto asked quietly.

Everyone looked at him. He sounded…intelligent. But what he said had more impact on them. Chiro had made them forget about him. But that wasn't the whole story. He was trying to tell them something.

Wasn't he?

"He always knew more than he showed," Gibson said. "He was clever. He hid his past and revealed his future in a way none of us had ever anticipated."

"And he tried to fight the evil consuming him," Sparx said. "But it was too much."

"The Power Primate was the only thing holding the Skeleton Prince back," Antauri said. "I managed to trick him into taking it back, which gave Chiro some control. Not enough."

"It was too late to save him from himself," Antauri concluded. He looked at Chiro's body. "I had to stop both of them." He paused. He then finally looked up at his team. They had sober looks on their faces, tears streaming down their faces. Jinmay had a look of disbelief on her face as she looked from the silver monkey to Chiro's body.

"I hope you won't hate me for this," Antauri whispered.

"We don't," Jinmay said, her voice cracking. "We could never hate you, _or_ Chiro. You both did what had to be done. Nothing could change that." She knelt down to the silver simian's level, and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I just hope, in the end, Chiro will remember us, wherever he is. And I hope that the universe will remember him as a hero."

"They will," Antauri said. The other approached them, and they all had a heartfelt group hug.

"He was a good leader…" Gibson said sadly.

"Not just a leader," Sparx corrected. "He was a friend."

"He's saved us many times, plus what he did for Antauri…" Nova said quietly. "But, I guess it was too late to return the favor…"

"I guess he considered us being friends enough for him to ask Antauri to kill him," Otto said, his voice portraying a bit of awe.

Antauri and all the others thought about what Otto just said, then they all nodded.

After they let go of each other, Sparx asked, "What about…" He paused, not wanting to say it. He motioned towards Chiro's body.

Antauri tried his hardest to smile. "I hate to say this, but…leave him. Everything you guys have done for him for the past few weeks is respect enough. He would want to be here." His voice cracked, but he continued. "This is the planet on which he was born. It would be what he would want."

The others nodded in respect. They said nothing, all lost in their own thoughts. They all revolved around the same, simple question.

_Why?_

* * *

The team, after a while of just sitting there, finally made their way back to the Super Robot (or what was left of it). A light shone behind them, and the looked to see a pillar of orange light engulf Chiro's body. He vanished is a sparkle of green. Nova began to cry, and so did Jinmay. Sparx and Otto began to comfort the two girls the rest of the way.

When they entered the Super Robot, they were met with an odd sight. The large screen of the Robot was one of the few things intact and working, and it was now playing one of Sparx's video games. Spaceships flew around the screen, blasting the alien ships out of space. As a giant ship was blown up, the screen flashed '**_NEW HIGH SCORE!_**'. The team looked at it in confusion, and then they finally noticed a figure sitting cross-legged in Chiro's chair. He was holding the controller to the game, and he now set it gently down on the floor before standing up and facing the team.

"I got the new high score on your game, Sparx," the figure said.

The team still stared. The figure smiled, and brushed a few locks of black hair out of his face. He spoke in a warm voice.

"Did you really believe that, after everything I've done, that _killing_ me would _stop_ me?" Chiro asked. His smiled beamed. "I've still got a life to live, ya know. I'm not about to give it up that easily."

He looked the team once over. They were still just standing there, their mouths hanging open. "What's wrong? Aren't you glad to see me?"

The team still stared. Then, Nova and Jinmay broke the ice. They both let out an excited cry, flinging themselves into Chiro's arms. He held on tightly to both of them. They both cried, in joy and sadness. The rest of the team did the same, and Chiro held onto all of them as they all cried.

"Now, now, c'mon," Chiro said. "Why are you all crying? I'm back, and everything's gonna be okay." He looked Jinmay straight in the eye as she looked up at him. "Stop crying now, okay?"

"But…" she said, still sobbing. "How…?"

"I wasn't meant to die," Chiro said. He smiled.

He looked at Antauri. Letting go of the others, he solely hugged the silver monkey. "Thank you so much, Antauri. You freed me."

Antauri hugged him back. "You saved my life once," he said. "It is only fitting that I return the favor."

Chiro let him go and stood up, facing the others. "It's over," he announced with finality. "It's finally over. The Skeleton Prince spirit is gone, and now, I'm just me again."

"But, one thing, Chiro," Otto said. Chiro looked at him. "Don't forget. Even though this might be a pain to remember, forgetting won't help. Just, don't let it take over you, okay?"

The others looked at the little green mechanic. For the second time that day, he actually sounded smarter than Gibson and wiser than Antauri, with just a few sentences.

Chiro smiled again. "I won't. You can count on it."

* * *

The rest of the day was spent fixing the Super Robot. All of the members of the team pitched in to get the Robot fully functioning so they could get back to ShuggazoomCity. They left Hendran behind, returning to their home world after being away for a while.

Once they got back, Antauri secretly approached Chiro. "So, how did you…?" he began.

"I don't think I ever died," Chiro answered. "I saw a bright orange light, and, then, then next thing I knew, I was alive…again… or…somethin'."

"I guess it wasn't time," Antauri concluded.

Chiro nodded. "Not yet. I'm only fourteen. I shouldn't die yet."

Then, suddenly, Otto came bounding towards them and grabbed Chiro's arm. "C'mon!" the little green monkey said.

"What is it?" Antauri asked.

"SPRX-77 has challenged the Great Chiro to a video game smashdown!" Otto said in a dramatic voice. "You wanna?"

"Nah," Chiro said, waving his hand. Otto let out a whine, but Chiro continued. "I think Sparx could beat me. Tell him I'll do it when I get my strength back. I'm just gonna go to my room."

(It's like, "Uh, hello, I just DIED. And then came BACK TO LIFE. No, I don't wanna play video games! LOL)

Antauri and Otto then cast each other alarmed looks. "Don't worry," Chiro laughed. "Nothing mysterious. I'm just tired."

He walked off. So Antauri and Otto just went into the main room. Everyone was just sitting there, lost in their own thought, recalling the past two weeks' events.

* * *

About an hour later, Antauri was meditating. But he just couldn't concentrate, and after a while (just to be sure and ease his own mind) he went to Chiro's room. He opened the door, and…

…sure enough, there Chiro was, asleep on his bed. He had on his normal clothes and was just laying on his back on top of the covers. And the light was still on. Obviously, he had fallen asleep almost automatically.

There was a box on his bed, though.

Antauri walked over to the box and peered in it. It had all the journals of the past Skeleton Princes. Chiro's was on top, and Antauri, fearing the worst, opened it and looked inside.

He let out a sigh. The pages were empty. Yet another clue that the Skeleton Prince was truly gone and Chiro could recover from his ordeal.

Suddenly, a hand gripped Antauri's arm. He jerked, then looked up to see Chiro sitting up in bed, holding his arm.

"You still don't trust me?" Chiro asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

"It's not that," Antauri said. "I just…wanted to be sure."

"Well, don't worry," Chiro said. "I've learned a lesson. If something does come up, then I'll be sure to let you know before anything happens."

Antauri shot the boy a look. "You expect something else to come up?"

"No. I'm just saying."

Chiro looked at the journal. "All the pages are blank in all of the books. That means the spirit of the Skeleton Prince is gone forever. I have nothing else in my past to hide."

Antauri smiled. "Well… Goodnight, Chiro."

"Night, Antauri," Chiro said. He then let himself lay on top of the covers again, falling asleep almost instantly.

Antauri picked up the box with the journals and shoved it under Chiro's bed. He left the room, turning off the main light before exiting. As he walked down the hallway, he smiled to himself.

_Everything would be alright now._

_Chiro was back, alive._

_The Skeleton Prince was gone._

_There was hope for a new day after all._

* * *

Far from ShuggazoomCity, the moon rose over the horizon, casting an eerie glow over the barren landscape. A form floated a few inches above the ground. Its eyes opened, revealing them to be blood red. Hate and malice reflected in them. An equally eerie smile crossed the face of the figure, and a raspy laugh echoed over the land.

_"I am not finished with him yet."_

It then laughed, a horrible sound, and it echoed far and wide, for all to hear. The ghost flew into the sky, spotting, so very far away, the small form of the Super Robot.

_"This has only begun."_

It then began to fly, in the light of the full moon, towards the city.

**_THE END…?_**

****Thank you for reading! LOVE YOU ALL

-Ashley and Emarelda


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